"Lee Hyun-joong's rebounding stood out" Chinese fans cheer for his return to the G League... Rips City debut as a starter with 3 points and 6 rebounds

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Hyun-joong (26, Rip City Remix), the "ace" of the South Korean men's national basketball team who returned to the G League, the lower division of the National Basketball Association (NBA), scored his new team's first points of the season.

Rip City, an affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, defeated the Salt Lake City Stars 108-93 in the away opening game of the 2026-2027 G League season held at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the 11th (Korean time).

Starting for Rip City, Lee Hyun-joong recorded 3 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 24 minutes of play.

Early in the first quarter, when Rip City was trailing 0-9, Lee Hyun-joong's outside shot went in. He caught a pass from Mark Sears and sank a three-pointer. It was Lee Hyun-joong's first point wearing the Rip City uniform and also the team's first point of the season.

However, he did not add any more points. On this day, Lee Hyun-joong made 1 of his 5 field goal attempts. He hit 1 of his 4 three-pointers.

Instead, he pulled down 6 defensive rebounds and contributed on offense by assisting Caleb Houston's three-pointer and Sears' basket.

Rip City took a 30-21 lead from the first quarter onward. They maintained their focus thereafter to secure the victory. In the process, Houston led the win with 28 points and 10 rebounds, including 8 three-pointers.

Chinese sports media Zhibo8 also reported on Lee Hyun-joong's return to the G League on this day. The outlet noted that Lee Hyun-joong "made 1 of 5 field goal attempts, finishing with 3 points" in his first game for Rip City, while adding that he "also recorded 6 rebounds and 2 assists."

The media also introduced Lee Hyun-joong by stating that he "led the South Korean men's basketball team to a gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last September."

At the time, Lee Hyun-joong averaged 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. His three-point shooting percentage reached 47.2%.

Yang Hansen, a center for the Chinese national team, is affiliated with Portland and also played for its affiliate team, Rip City, last season. This is why Chinese fans are closely watching games between Portland and Rip City.

Naturally, attention was drawn to Lee Hyun-joong's debut game for Rip City as well.

Some Chinese fans also expressed expectations and support for Lee Hyun-joong, another Asian player. One fan highly evaluated him, saying, "His rebounding was quite noticeable. It seems he will settle in."

Another fan compared him to Lin Wei, a Chinese guard playing at the University of Oregon in the United States. This fan explained, "Even players who dominated Asia need time to adjust when they come to the US. Lin Wei also struggled to adapt last year," adding that "Lin Wei is doing a bit better this year." It was a remark suggesting that Lee Hyun-joong needs time.

Lee Hyun-joong, who experienced the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors during the 2022-2023 season, is attempting to return to the NBA after stints in Australia and Japan. Rip City will face Salt Lake City again at the same venue on the 12th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original